


Misunderstood

by somehowunbroken



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-28
Updated: 2011-06-28
Packaged: 2017-10-20 19:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somehowunbroken/pseuds/somehowunbroken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John ends up in the hospital, Cam does the best friend thing and sits a while, and John's brother Dave completely misinterprets everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misunderstood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [susnn](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=susnn).



John is asleep when his brother finally arrives.

“Hey, Dave,” Cam says quietly, stretching as he stands from his chair. “How’s it going?”

“I’m fine,” Dave says abstractly, his eyes on John. “Is he-” He makes an awkward motion with his hand in John’s general direction, and Cam has to bite back a grin. He’s been friends with John for years and has known Dave almost the entire time, and it never fails to make him smile, this awkward sort of caring that they have for each other.

“He’ll be fine after a bit,” Cam replies. “He’s tougher than he looks.”

Dave finally meets Cam’s eyes and smiles. It’s a crooked little thing, and it matches John’s own grin pretty well. Cam has always thought that they look related the most when they smile. “Thanks, Cam,” he says, sinking into a chair on the other side of John’s bed. “Can you tell me anything about what happened?”

Cam hesitates. John had been captured offworld because his Ancient gene had lit up some sort of sacred relic, and the people in the village had beaten him pretty severely for “corrupting the Talisman with evil,” as Cam understood it. He’d geared up when he heard and set out not long after, and he’d managed to get John home in one piece, for the most part. “He was captured,” Cam edits. “They beat him pretty badly, but my team was able to get in and evac him.” He pauses again. “It really isn’t as bad as it looks, Dave.”

“That’s good,” Dave murmurs, and Cam has to agree. John is black and blue and purple everywhere, and his hair is cropped close to his head, shorn off so Lam could assess his head injuries more accurately. His right arm is in a cast, and there’s a frown on his face, like even in sleep he can’t quite relax enough to let it stop hurting. He really isn’t that bad off, though, or he wouldn’t have been released to Petersen to recover.

“I’ve got a call to make,” Cam says, standing and heading for the door. “Can I get you anything from the cafeteria?”

Dave looks up and shakes his head. “Thanks, but I’m fine,” he says, jerking his chin towards John. “I’ll just… wait.”

Cam nods and jogs down the hall, dialing as he enters the stairwell. It’s a quick update back to Sam; he lets her know that John had finally drifted off, that Dave’s here, and she tells him about the return visit to P3T-937, during which Major Lorne managed to turn the device off and smooth things over with the natives of the planet. Cam promises to call when he’s got more news, and Sam does the same, and then Cam’s in the cafeteria, wondering if he should just grab Dave a muffin anyway. He’s been in enough hospitals with the man to know which he’d prefer, and it’s always better when Dave has something to distract him, anyway.

Cam ends up grabbing a bagel for himself and a lemon poppyseed muffin for Dave. He pays and jogs back up the stairs, and as soon as he steps into the hallway, he can hear raised voices coming from John’s room. He sighs and walks down the hall, pausing outside the door to assess the situation.

“-don’t see why you feel like you have to hide it from me any more, is all,” Dave says, and his voice is that careful, reasonable tone that Cam knows John hates. “I mean, I get why you didn’t say anything before, John, I do. I’m not upset or hurt or anything – we never were close, and it’s big news-”

“I didn’t tell you,” John replies, “because it isn’t true, Dave.”

“I have eyes, John.” Dave’s voice is sharper this, time, and Cam ducks inside the door.

“Hey,” he says brightly. “I grabbed you a muffin anyway, Dave. How’s the head?” he directs at John, who sighs and closes his eyes.

“See?” Dave says in that same reasonable tone. “Cam knows what kind of muffin I’d want, and got me one even though I didn’t ask for it. What does that say, hm?”

“It says that my friend knows what kind of muffin you like, Dave, and that he’s a good guy.” John sounds frustrated, and Cam wonders what he missed in the conversation.

“I can take the muffin back if you don’t want it,” he offers as he takes his seat, knowing that’s not the issue.

John sighs and opens his eyes, turning to Cam. “My brother is under the impression that we’re hiding some sort of relationship from him.”

“Oh,” Cam blinks, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he turns to Dave. “I’m not sleeping with your brother. I never have, and chances are pretty good that I never will.” He doesn’t think about P9J-254; it had come close, but they’d manage to talk the villagers out of it, and he doesn’t go on missions with John’s team often enough for it to be an actual concern.

Dave blinks. “Really?”

“Really,” Cam confirms, tilting his head. “What made you think-”

Dave waves the muffin at him. “You’re here every time he’s in the hospital,” he points out. “You’re the only person he’s brought home more than once, other than his ex-wife. You’ve never mentioned a wife or a girlfriend, and neither has he.” Dave shrugs. “It was sort of a logical conclusion.”

“John’s pretty straight,” Cam says mildly. “I’ve never even bothered to hit on him.”

Dave blinks again. “John is straight?”

“John is _right here_ ,” John says, irritated. “I told you, I’m not gay, I’m not bi. I told you before DADT was repealed, I told you again just now. Why is this so hard to believe?”

“It’s the hair,” Cam tells him, face solemn, but he laughs after a minute at John’s glare. “Oh, let it go, John. It’ll grow back.”

“Says the man with all his hair,” John says darkly, but he’s grinning too. Dave coughs a little on the other side of the bed, and Cam and John both turn to face him.

“Really,” he says dryly, “honestly, you’re not together?”

“I swear it,” Cam says. “Friends, that’s all. We’re just posted near each other, and we both have the clearance necessary to know exactly what trouble the other’s gotten into.” He raises an eyebrow in John’s direction, and John gives a halfhearted protest about this not being his fault until Cam can’t hold back his grin, and then John grins, and Dave starts laughing, too.

“Really,” Cam repeats when they stop laughing.

Dave shrugs and offers his hand as he stands. “Welcome to the family anyway.”

“Thanks,” Cam says, shaking it, and he’s not surprised to find that he means it.


End file.
